The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-09-01

The statement which follows will sound
like nonsense TO many cottontots," bat
will be recognized as truth BY many
thoughtful, progressive agriculturists noo,
and by all in the near future.
On the bestowed Of more and better 1t
tention to grass and stock will depend the
success Of Southern agriculture. Let the
reader look around him and he will find
that the planters who are farmers, who
have given most attention to stock, grass,
and the so-called small industries Of the
farm, are the most suscesful, most prosper
ous and the best contented with their pro-
fession. But, says one. This is not
grass country" Not a grass country,
when all the farm labor is engaged for
six months every year in the most stren-
uous efforts at killing grass grass
which produces hay, if merely "let alone"
inferior TO none-one that seeds itself and
10 excellent either for hay or pasturage.
We prepared two. acres Of land in 1859,
early in May; sps one scrs 70 Geraaaf
millet and Allowed cfpp arass 10 grow
upon the other. We harseesed. in round
numbers, 400 pounds Of hay ffum the
acre in crop grass and 4, $50 pounds from
the German millet. We harvested heavy
crop of German millet hay on the 2sd Of
July that was sown on May 2eth. The
hay cured and housed in less than sixty
days from day of seeding.
With crop grass, German millet, lespe-
deza, johnson grass, lucern, Texas blue
grass, Texas millet, indian corn, peas, rys
and barley from to which make selection
everywhere in the cotton belt, and the
clovers and cultivated grasses added in
the upper half of the belt where the lands
are clayey or calcareous, we are without
excuse it we fail of abundant supply of for
age and pasturage for stock of every de-
scription. If we will cease to "run after
strange gods" and devote ourselves to the
encouragement of the forage plants which
God intended for our soil and climate,
the bale of Western hay would become a
stranger in our land, and Chicago beef
and oleomargarlne would no longer find
purchasers in our makets. Good Christian
people are melted into tears Of sympathy
for the poor heather Chinese and the be-
nighted African, while they fail to recog
nize the fact that they are surrounded by
objects as worthy of their gushing charity
and philanthropy which fail to attract
their attention. So with u.s. We spend
our time and money in vain efforts to eli
Matte Northern and European grasses
while equally valuable candidates for our
favor come unbidden and are even spurn-
ed as nuisances
With crop grass, Bermuda and lespedeza
for summer pasturage, and barley and rye
for winter pasturage, and green soiling
with all of these, johnson grass and lu-
Germ for hay, and Indian corn and pea vines
in the silo, fat beef and mutton and golden
butter should take the place of Western
bacon and oleomargarine. If we will
employe 1.-THE of the energy and indus
try in encouraging grass to grow that we
devote to its destruction, there would no
longer be heard complaints against the
South as grass country. The heaviest
yields of hay on record have been made in
the cotton belt Col. George w. Scott
grew, at Decatur, Ga, $500 pounds of
clover hoy q. one cutting.-Southern Cul-
tiv0tor for September.